Having a good listener can improve your brain health

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 16, and the researchers observed that only someone is available most or all of the time you can count on people to listen to you when you need to be with greater cognitive flexibility -An ability to measure your brain's function will be better than expected for physical aging or disease-related brain changes.

"We believe that cognitive elasticity can buffer the effects of brain aging and disease," said lead researcher Joel Salinas, MD, who is the Lulu P.

It is estimated that 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

"These four years are very precious

Salinas also suggested that doctors consider adding this question to the standard social history part of interviews with patients: ask patients if they have someone they can trust to listen to them when they need to talk

How the research was conducted

The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is one of the longest-lasting and most closely monitored community cohort studies in the United States, with a total of 2,171 participants and an average age of 63 years

Study participants’ cognitive resilience was measured as the relative impact of total brain volume on overall cognition, using MRI scans and neuropsychological assessments as part of FHS

Individuals’ cognitive functions have greater access to a particular form of social support that is higher relative to their total brain volume

The researchers point out that further research on individual social interactions may improve the understanding of the biological mechanisms that link psychosocial factors to brain health

In addition to Salinas, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School McCance Brain Health Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health at Monash University, Harvard TH Chen School of Public Health, Boston University Public The University of California Davis at the School of Health and the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas San Antonio Health Sciences Center also participated in the study

Journal Reference :

1. Joel Salinas et al.